Car coupler



Mwah i@ 39225, C M'OORE r 1,577,284

CAR COUPLER Filed Feb. 26, 1925 INVENTOR.

VPatented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES grarrui a orties.-

CHARLIE B. MOORE, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR COUPLER.

Application filed February se, i925. serial No. 11,777.

To all 'whom t mail concern.'

. Beit known that I, CHARLIE B., Moons, a citizen ofthe United' States, residing at Altoona, Iin the county of 'Bla-ir and State ofPennsylvania,have invented certain new and usefull Improvements in Car Couplers,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to couplers for cars, and more particularly to cars used in coal mines.

The'object is to provide a device of this character which will automatically couple the cars when they come together, andwill hold them in'reliable operative relation to eachother, while at'thesame time permitting the cars to make the shortturns, andthe abrupt dips incident to the runningof cars in mines. f

i Another object is to provide a device of strong and durable construction which will not only couple automatically, but Vwhich can be quickly and'easily uneoupled when- I ever desired.

i A further object is to so construct Vthe device that it can be easily adapted to existing cars, just as they are, withouthaving to provide specially constructed parts to re- 1 ceive the device.

YMinor objects will appearl inthe subjoined description. A Y l An important feature of the invention is a semi-cylindrical support for carrying one -of the coupler members and forming a uni versal joint connection .between the same and the car. 1 Y

The invention Lconsists incertain Vnovel features ofV construction .and` arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafterndescribed and claimed,'re'ference being had to theaccompanying drawings, .in whichg Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a paiihof my couplers in operative relation to each other.

`ingly holding they two coupler members4 against accidental disengagement-from each other. f

securedto the bottom of the car. f Y.

F'g. V5 is a top planviewgvofvthe wear plate of thetirsttnamed coupler member and is Fig. 6 is a brace plate for the vertical bolt of the semi-cylindrical coupling-hook support. 1 f Fig'. 7 is `a.Y perspectivevview, on a somewhat enlarged scale, showing said support in inverted position; and,

11. rig. 8 is a perspective showing the same in its uprightposition.

Referring further to the dra-wings the numeral 1 indicates the frontend of afloor of a Vmine car, and 2, the bumper plate thereon. findicates the wear plate of my device which` is rigidly secured to the floor 1 of the car, and is provided'with openings 4 Vforthe reception of suitableV securing bolts.

This plate ,3 is also provided with'acentral opening 5 for the reception'of the projection Gjon the lower side of the semi#cylindricall support 7 andwith two integral upwardly extending projections oi' standards 8 at its forward corners. Vrlhe downwardly project` i ing 'port-ion 6 of the support 7 is provided with a central'opening 9 kwhichextends through the bottom ofthe chair, and lin' this opening is received the sleeve 10 which ex-V tendson down through a registering open- Clhe brace-,plate12is provided at lits Aforward end with an-opening 13 whichA engages the vupper end of thebolt 11to brace the saine against rocking in its bearings. it

its upper end this brace-plate is provided .with openings vlet for securing the same to f the ilooiof the car.

Thesupport? is provided Vat its sides with alinedfhorizontal openings lfor the receptionotlwa. journal 16 which is secured byr a Setscrew 17 in an opening 18 at the inner end 2OjofV tlieicoupler member, 19,

whichrear'eiid is of a.A size to be easily.

received into the Vchair, 7' between the sides A'thereof with plenty of room'V left for play to allow r`said coupler member to be rocked Vup and .down on the journal 18. In advance ofthe outcrend ofthe support 7, this coupler 19 has a downwardly projecting 1aortion 21 which rests upon the wear plate to move horizontally thereon. From the` construction described,V itv will be seen tliatwhile the coupler member 19 can rock up and down on the journal l18, it can also, by means of its connection .through said journal with therv support 7, rock vwith said chair in a ing provided therefor )in thebottom of the i car. This sleeve 10 forms-a bushing Lfor the *boltY 11' which `is "employed Vto Vhold the sup -,port 7 rotatably mounted-on the wear-plate horizontal direction on the bolt Il, thus providing for the "universal movement of the inner end of said coupler member 19.

Since the brace-plate .l2 is held in fixed relation to the support 7, the outer end of said brace-plate is reduced in Width, as at 2:2, to prevent it from interfering with the horizontal rotation of the support on the bolt lll. At its outer end this coupler member 1E) is prorided with a handle 23 for raising said end to uucouple its hook 24 from the corresponding hook 25 of thc cooperating coupler member 26, Which is provid 3d at its other end with a liatl'cucd portion :2T provided uith openings for ruring'the member to the bottoniof the car to which it is to be attached. This flattened portion 27 provided at its inucrside with an integral upwardly extending flange QS) provided With bores 30hy means of which the spring 3l scoured to said flange, the spring having corresponding bores BBftherein as clearlj)Y shown in Fig. el, the object of this spring being to hold the two coupler members against accidental disengagement, as illustrated in Fig, 1.

The spring 3l is curved outwardly at its outer end to provide said end on its inner .tace with the curved surface 33 adapted to be engaged by the forward end of the coupler member 19 as the two coupler members come together for interlocking engagement, as .illustrated in Fig. l. When the members are thus coupled, the spring 3l presses the coupling member 19 against the cooperating coupler member QG, so that the tivo cannot become accidentally disengaged. If due to the irregularities of the track, one cardrops a litt-le below the other, the ends of the hooks on the coupler members being rounded, as illustrated at 34 in Fie. 2, permits said couplerhooks to easily move vertically upon each other as much as may be required.

Incase of the cars running around sharp curves, the support 7 rocks on the bolt l1 and permits all 'the pla f required. Springs areboltcd at their lient ends'al to the rigid Astandards 8 of the wear plate 3, and these springs press the outer sides of the chair 7 and normally lie in flat engagement with said sides, and thus `resist the (itl turning movement of said chair sufficiently to return it to its normal position when the curvehas been passedand the cars have again come into alincment with each other. Special attention is called to the fact that the device is adapted to the ears now in conjimon use, so that no change has to be made in the cars in` order to attach my derire in operativeposition thereon.

Attention is also called to the fact that the couplers are so mountedon the ears that the regular car bumpers absorball the bumping strain in theiisual Way., and the couplers therefore do `trot receive any of the coupling strain..

llf'hen it is desired to uncouple the cars, the coupling member 1D is simply lifted b v means of the handle Q3 thereof, out of cngagement with the cooperating coupler mem bor 2G. Then the handle 23 is released b v the operator the member 19 drops by gravita7 into position to rccngage the Coupling 1nember 2li when the cars are again bumped together, the projection 2l of said member it) forn'iing a stop for limiting the downward movement of said uieu'iber.

It is apparent that anyv of the well known arrangements for lifting the coupling pins m"- couplers, from the 'side of the car, ma;7 be cinliloyed to engage the handle of my device to uucouple the'car, but as acces series of this character are common with couplers, it is not deemed iiecessarjif' to `illustrate such an arrangement.

From the foregoing, it willbe seen that I have provided a device which is quick, conrenient, and reliable in its operation, and which saves much time in the'eoupling and uncoupling of the cars in operating the mines.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect lay-Letters Iatent is;-

l. Ina device of the character described, the Combination with one of the coupling members, of a Wear-plate adapted to be secured to the floor cfa car; a U-shaped coupler support horizontall;T rotatable on said plate; a"`horzontal journal for connecting said support with one of the coupler mem# bers; `and opposing springs for pressing the U-shaped member to yieldingly hold the same in a fixed position;

2f. In a device of the character described, the combination with one of the coupling members, of a Ushaped support therefor; a Wear-plate upon which said support is mounted, said plate being adapted to be secured to the floor oi. the car; means for rocking the coupling member up and down on the U-shaped support, said support being mounted for horizontal rotation on the wearplate; and springs carried on the wear plate for pressing opposite sides of the Ushaped member to yieldingllv bias the same against horizontal rotation.

3. In aderice of the cllaraeter descrilied,

a Wear plate adapted to be secured to the floor of the car; a U-shapcd coupler sup port on the Wear-plate; a rertical bolt er tending through the bottom of said Ueshapcd member, the wear-plate, and the floor of the ar`; a brace plate extending into the U- shaped member and pivotally engaging the upper end of said bolt to hold the same against rocking strain in said U-shaped member; springs on opposite sides of the U-shaped member for holding the same in lill.)

longitudinal alinement with said braceplate; a horizontal journal in the Coupler support above said vertical bolt; and a Coupler member rotatably held by said horizontal journal.

il. In a device of the character described, the combination With a coupllng member, of a U-shaped support having a horizontal `journal for the Coupling member; a sup- 10 porting plate upon which the U-shaped support is mounted for horizontal rotation; springs Carried by the supporting plate for pressing the U-shaped support to bias the same against rotation on the plate; a cooperating coupling member; and means for yieldingly holding the coupling members against accidental disengagement with each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLIE B. MOORE. 

